A Heart Wrapped In Fur
by Mini Wolfsbane
Summary: Molly falls into some depression from guilt. When Remy finds a lost dog, could that be the thing that brings her out of her blue mood? 32nd story in a series. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:I don't own X-Men:Evolution, just myself (Called Molly Callum in 'fics.)  
>and any original charactersbackground characters that might pop up from time to time.

* * *

><p>Remy knocked on Molly's door. It had already been two days since the Professor had been taken, and in that short amount of time, Molly had gone from acting like herself to being a shut-in. Remy hadn't tried to drag her out of her room, but he didn't think another day of moping was good for her.<p>

With no answer, Remy went inside. Molly was barely awake, curled up under the covers. "You don't have to check on me all the time," her voice sounded dry and lifeless, not like herself. It made Remy's heart sink, but worse, it made him feel afraid for her. Remy had never seen her this depressed in all the time that he'd known her.

"Yes I do. This isn't good for you and it's worrying everyone," Remy sat on the bed, putting a hand on her blanket-clad form.

Remy felt Molly's torrent of emotions keep bombarding him.  
>~Guilt-sadness-guilt-tired-frustrated-guilt-sadness-guiltguiltGUILT!~<p>

"I just want to sleep. Maybe I'll get some lunch later," Molly said.

Remy decided he wasn't going to take this laying down. Molly wouldn't be happy about it, but later she would understand.

"You need to get out of this room _now_," Remy quickly picked her up, carrying her out into the hallway and then placing her back onto the floor.  
>"I don't want you to feel guilty. We did what we could. If the Professor were here, he would tell you the same thing. I don't want to see you so depressed. It's too painful for me."<p>

Molly only stood there looking blank at first, nothing reaching her eyes as she stared at the floor like a zombie. There were dark circles under her eyes, indicating that her sleep had been less then pleasant lately. After a moment, she frowned, purposely avoiding looking at Remy. The guilt was eating her alive. "I guess...but I don't understand how things can be normal when Professor Xavier is probably being tortured somewhere."

Now Remy sensed stress coming from Molly. Too much stress. Her worries were rational and understandable,  
>but she wasn't going to do herself any good becoming so upset over what the whole team was working on. They had been searching the globe since the abduction happened, so they were going to find the Professor sooner or later.<p>

"We just have to try and be normal because being upset about it isn't going to get anything done.  
>Now why don't you get a shower, get dressed and then we can have breakfast together," Remy said.<p>

"Yeah. Okay. Sounds good," Molly grabbed her bathrobe and two towels, heading for the shower.

Remy felt relieved, but only for a second. The day wasn't over yet.

* * *

><p>Breakfast came and went. It made Remy happy to see Molly acting more normal again. Remy knew that he had to take things slowly. She was in an emotinally fragile state.<br>Whatever she wanted to do next, he would be willing to accomodate her, but he knew he shouldn't push her.  
>If he pushed too hard, she'd bolt, but if he took things slow and gentle, she would get to feeling better.<p>

So...they just sat there staring at each other.

"What now?" Molly eventually asked.

"Whatever you want to do," Remy said.

"Well, uh, what's everyone else doing? Are they...looking for him?" Molly said.

"Everyone's doing what they can, but a lot of the kids stayed behind since they have two weeks of school left before summer vacation," Remy said, "I don't think there's a lot we can do since it's pretty under control."

"Oh," Molly frowned, "Okay."

"Anything you want to go do, I'm up for," Remy said, "Take a drive, go swimming, hit the mall..."  
>He trailed off, watching to see if anything would spark her interest.<p>

"I guess we could go drive around. Take a nice drive in the country or something," Molly sounded unenthusiastic.

"The fresh air will do you good," Remy headed for the door, but Molly didn't follow. Remy went back to her. Molly looked like she was on the verge of crying. Remy sat back next to her and held her hands. "I know if I say that it wasn't our fault a million times, that won't make you feel better," Remy said, "If you want, we can drive around town and see if any leads come up."

"That would make me feel a little better," Molly smiled, "Thanks."

"Anything for you, Elue," Remy gently kissed her forehead.

* * *

><p>They suited up and headed out.<br>"Where should we start?" Molly asked as they left the mansion in Remys car, keeping things low key.

"Probably downtown, see if we can get any leads," Remy said.

"...We're going to be shaking guys down for info, aren't we?" Molly looked regretful.

"You've been hanging around me too long. Yes, unfortunately that's the only way to deal with them. You can't play nice with crooks," Remy said.

"I'll do whatever I have to, but we're not hurting anyone," Molly said.

"Who said anything about hurting anyone?" Remy said with a genuine smile.

* * *

><p>About an hour later they found themselves walking into a skeezy dive on the ege of downtown. The alley they had to go through seemed dark eventhough it was still early.<p>

They looked around. Remy knew who he was looking for, but Molly didn't have any idea. The men scattered around the place were staring at them, wondering what they were doing there. Inside the establishment it wasn't well lit. Everything was wood paneling.  
>Pool tables clattered as huge guys in biker jackets murmered amongst themselves. Women in low cut tops served beer and piles of french fries. Men in eye patches guzzled down pints and guys with pet rats on their shoulders flirted with the waitresses. This place wasn't a happy tea room, that was for sure.<p>

Remy spotted his target. A young man, not much older then himself, who went by the name of Longshot. He was too handsome of a guy to not stick out in a place where guys were missing teeth and had obvious scars. Remy knew that Longshot had worked for Magneto before and was probably still doing so since Remy's former employer usually paid very well. The two of them went up to where the blonde was sitting. "Aren't you kids a little young to be in a place that serves alcohol?" Longshot smirked in a cocky way, moving aside his half empty beer mug.

"Aren't you a little too smart to be working for a guy like Magneto?" Remy said.

Longshot looked surprised at first, then it registered, "X-Men. Figures. I don't know where he is, so you might as well look someplace else."

"We're not looking someplace else," Molly balled her hands into fists, "You're not being completely straight with us. I can tell."

"Ooh. You can tell. I'm shaking," Longshot cackled, "Just get out of here before something bad happens."

"Oh, something bad is going to happen," Remy cast a sidelong look at Molly, who was already changing shape.  
>Brown fur, shaggy and growing way too fast, it was clear she was becoming a grizzly bear.<br>Longshot just stared, then became powerless to stop her as he was (gently, carefully) dragged into the alley by Mollys now huge teeth.

"So are you going to talk or do you _really_ want to throw down with a grizzly bear?" Remy jerked a thumb to Molly as she stood behind him. It was disconcerting how he could feel her breath on top of his _head_.

"He only contacts me when he needs me. Last I saw him he was at that old fishing peir in a wharehouse.  
>That's all I know, honest!" Longshot said, white as a sheet now. The boy had lost all his bravado in a matter of minutes. 'What a wuss,' Remy thought to himself.<p>

"What number wharehouse?" Remy asked.

"Like I know?" Longshot said.

Molly let out a gutteral rumbling growl.

"10? 13 maybe? Something l-like that," Longshot stammered.

"You have a nice day," Remy gave a slight wave, smiling and they walked off.  
>It wasn't until they were at the end of the alley that Molly changed back.<p>

"That wasn't fun," Molly was obviously at odds against herself as she frowned,  
>probably balancing the imaginary ethics scale in her head, "Guess it was necessary though."<p>

"Would you like to send him a letter of apology?" Remy teased.

"I'm serious. I don't like getting rough with people, even if I have to," Molly gave him a half smile.

"I know you don't, but you're good at being intimidating," Remy hugged Molly.

"In the form of an animal. Human, not so much," Molly smirked.

"I don't know about that," Remy said, "You've rattled me more then enough times."

"Yeah, but that's different. We're like this," Molly crossed her fingers, "Anyway, it's nothing to argue over. Right now I want to go find out what that wharehouse is all about."

"We can't go at it by ourselves. We'll let the others know, then work out a plan," Remy advised.

"You're right. Sorry. I'm getting ahead of myself," Molly said. They got back to the car and started driving home.

When they got in they were relieved to find that their friends had come back safely. They quickly explained the situation to Scott and Jean who gathered up a team.  
>"Good work," Scott actually commended Remy without looking at all begrudging about it. The kids all started running past Molly and Remy for the hanger as the two of them stood still.<p>

"Never thought I'd see the day that would happen," Remy murmered to himself.

Molly coughed, looking at the floor with one of her embarrassed/frustrated smiles. "Yes Petite?" Remy smirked, stooping to be just inches above her head.

"It's nothing...just...thanks for everything that you did today. It was all very considerate. Very sweet," Molly smiled. She didn't quite make it to kissing him on her own since he was just out of her reach. She was just a munchkin compared to most people, but it made her awfully cute to Remy. Not to mention kind of sexy.

Remys smirk broke into a smile. "Trouble?"

Molly looked annoyed. "Make fun of me and I won't kiss you at all."

"I wasn't making fun of you," Remy bent down a bit further, pulling her into the kiss. "I could never make fun of someone I love so much. You _are_ very cuddly however."

They held hands all the way to the warehouse.

* * *

><p>AN: I swear all writers are obsessed with height. (It's not just me!) I can't tell you the millions of times I read Animorphs and the author went on and on about how short or tall this character or that one was. I guess I just do it because I'm weird or something. Sorry if it gets annoying.<br>Remy probably wouldn't actually find it cute or sexy, but be like "So what?". Meh, it's my series, so he can react however I wish! (Muhahahaha!)

Elue=French for beloved.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer:I don't own X-Men:Evolution, just myself (Called Molly Callum in 'fics.)  
>and any original charactersbackground characters that might pop up from time to time.

* * *

><p>The plan was to first spy out the place, then go charging in.<p>

Unfortunately...

"It's empty," Jean informed them after checking through a window, "There's nothing inside."

"No! We came all this was for nothing!" Molly kicked a can so that it ricochet off the side of the building. That wasn't the end of her tantrum yet.

"It isn't fairrrauuughhhh..." Her body was already morphing out of control, expressing her inner turmoil that words couldn't. The team looked on feeling helpless to stop her and really not sure what to do as she turned into a rhino, then went running _through_ five warehouses. The amount of destruction Molly was causing was an incredible amount, not to mention it just downright frightened all of her friends.

"Should we stop her?" Sam wondered.

"You want to stop her, be my guest," Kurt said.

They decided keeping an eye on Molly would be a good idea. Usually she could keep herself in check, but presently the girl was unpredictable and dangerous.  
>Remy balled his hands into fists, his jaw set, as he watched Molly as a rhino buck and stomp in an empty parking lot, making the ground shake. As she slowly changed back, he edged closer until she was human again. Molly was on her knees and just when Remy put his arms around her, she fainted from exhaustion.<br>"You're just a bundle of emotions," Remy murmured as he cradled her.

"If I've said it once, I've said it a million times-put me down," Molly said upon waking up.

"Do you feel alright?" Remy was concerned.

"Just really drained," Molly said.

"Then I'm not putting you down," Remy kissed her.

"You're so embarrassing," Molly said, avoiding eye contact.

Everyone piled in the jet, the disappointment so thick in the air you could cut it with a knife. No one said much on the way back.

"Is anyone, like, mad at us?" Molly asked quietly.

"No one is mad at you," Jean said, "We didn't know the place was going to to be empty."

"But everyone has been looking so hard and then we just come up with this dead end...and...and..." Molly started crying.

Remy hugged Molly telling her that everything was going to be fine, trying desperately to console her, but in the end she just leaned against him and got very quiet.

When they finally arrived home, Remy wasn't sure what to do next. Molly was miserable.

"Do you want to be alone?" He asked as they stood in the empty hanger after everyone had gone upstairs.

"Yes...no...I don't know!" Molly admitted, "I don't know what to do. Everyone is trying and we're not getting anywhere. I feel lost. Hopeless."

"It's not hopeless," Remy reached out to hold her hands, "Things...they aren't just going to happen instantly. I know you're afraid that we're going to lose the Professor forever, but even if that happens, we'll all find a way to move on."

Molly heaved a sigh. "Okay. Once again, you're right. We're doing all we can so I guess we should just try and relax now. Go and do something fun or whatever."

"If you like, but you did just faint back there," Remy said.

"I'll be okay. I feel fine," Molly smiled.

Remy kissed her again, reaching behind to rub her neck. Mollys feelings were still a jumble, but he sensed that she was calm and not the ballistic mess that she had been earlier.  
>Molly was just a little tired and still upset, just like everyone else. The mission had been nothing but a big disappointment. Now it was Remy's job to get Mollys mind off of it.<p>

His hand went lower, rubbing her shoulders. Her body was tight and tense. Molly wouldn't agree to be massaged by him, but it was possible to find an alternative.

"Why don't you get changed and I'll find something for us to do," Remy said.

"Okay, but I was enjoying the shoulder rub," Molly smiled.

* * *

><p>After Remy had changed clothes, he did a quick internet search. When he found what he was looking for, he printed out directions, then waited in front of Mollys door.<p>

"You look like the cat that got the cream. What's going on?" Molly raised an eyebrow after coming out of her room.

"Go get your purse. We're going out for a while," Remy said.

Moments later they were driving down the road into town. "It's another famous Remy LeBeau surprise," Molly smirked, playfully poking him in the shoulder teasingly. "Yeah," Remy said, feigning bashfulness.

"If we ever get engaged, I'm not going to know what hit me," Molly said, giggling. A little while ago they had decided definite plans for marriage _were_ pretty immature, so they came to the conclusion to not make any concrete decisions just yet and let life take it's course. Things changed all the time, no matter how strongly they felt about each other.  
>"No you are definitely not," Remy turned the radio on, keeping it low.<p>

Fifteen minutes later they arrived. A spa. A _quality_ spa. One that had massages, facials and pedicures, the works.

"You really are the best boyfriend ever!" Molly hugged him.

"I just want what's best for you," Remy hugged back.

They went inside and Molly picked out an inexpensive-frankly, very cheap-spa package from the list of available choices.  
>"Not that one," Remy advised, "Pick a different one. More expensive. You're acting like I can't afford it."<p>

"Okay, okay! Uh...I guess the super deluxe one then," Molly shrugged. That had a hot stone massage, a facial, a mani-pedi, a salt glow,  
>and one hour in a private hot tub. It was also almost 300 dollars. Remy wasn't put out, but he also realized that he might not be doing anything fun for a while either.<br>It was worth it, he knew this. Remy took out his card and put it on credit.

"Have fun. Call me when you're finished," Remy kissed Molly. Being almost 300 dollars poorer was worth it to see her happy again. "Okay! Thanks a million Remy," She let the female masseuse lead her into a door to the right.

"Anything for you sir?" The girl behind the counter asked.

"No, no," Remy held up his hands with a laugh, "I'm not into this kind of stuff. It's just for my girlfriend."

"Alright, you have a nice day then!" The girl said with a cheery smile.  
>Remy went out to run a few errands to kill time while Molly relaxed at the spa.<p>

A couple hours later Remy was on his way back when he slammed on the brakes. There was a dog in the road. Not a small dog either, but some kind of fairly large mutt.  
>It was brown with a patch of white on his chest. The street wasn't very busy at all, so Remy opened his door and called the dog over.<br>"Hey, uh, come here boy!" Remy whistled a little at the lost dog. The dog was more then happy to come over and jump into the car, climbing over Remy and into the front passenger seat. "Friendly, aren't you?" Remy looked at the dog with slight grimace.

Unfortunately, the dog wasn't very clean. Muddy paws had made Remy's car dirty. Remy knew he didn't have time right now to find the owner, but after he picked up Molly they could come back around and ask people. He made his way back to the spa. "Be a good dog," Remy left the window open a bit, locking up the car.  
>The dog proceeded to bark at strangers passing by, as dogs often do. As long as the mutt didn't chew on anything, Remy was happy. The muddy stains would come out of the seats with some hard scrubbing.<p>

Molly looked refreshed as she waited in the lobby for Remy. She seemed to be glowing,  
>"Enjoy yourself?" Remy held her hand as they left. "Yeah, it was really great. Just what I needed," Molly said.<br>"Well don't get too excited, but I found a lost dog on the way here," Remy said.

Molly not getting too excited over animals was impossible. "Really?" Molly dropped Remy's hand and rushed over to the car. The dog seemed pretty excited over her too, barking and trying to smell Molly through the window. "Aww, hi doggy! Aren't you sweet!-You're very dirty! Yes! Yes you are!" Molly gushed. Remy smiled. Molly was downright adorable when she got around animals to Remy. Maybe this was what she needed to help get her out of her depressed mood.

They two of them got into the car, but Remy had to restrain the dog from jumping into the back seat with Molly since he was a mess and she had just come from the spa. "Maybe we should go home and clean him up? I could send somebody out to get a leash and a collar too, so we can start looking for his owner," Molly said.

"That's not a bad idea. I just hope we don't get yelled at for bringing him into the house," Remy said. The dog had settled down, so Remy started driving home.

"Heh. Makes me think of all the times I ran into strays," Molly said, "I got yelled at sometimes."

"I'm sorry," Remy said.

"No big deal. I should have known better anyway," Molly said.

They rode the rest of the way home in silence. The dog relaxed a great deal, Remy noticed. When they got back, Remy carried him quickly inside the house, into the elevator and then into the nearest bathroom.

"Oh man, I just realized we don't have any, like, dog soap," Remy said as they waited for the tub to fill.

Molly laughed heartily. Remy was happy, but confused.  
>"What's so funny?" Remy wondered.<p>

"It's...it's called dog shampoo!" Molly finally caught her breath.

"I like dog soap better," Remy said.

"Anyway, we don't need it. We just need to dilute some dish soap is all. I've had lots of dogs, don't worry," Molly explained.

Remy went downstairs and came back with the soap and a couple disposable plastic cups. One to dilute the soap, the other to help rinse the dog. Remy didn't do much except help hold the mutt. Remy hadn't ever owned a dog and Molly seemed to know what she was doing.

Remy could feel that Molly was a lot happier then she had been that morning. Her negative feelings seemed to vanish completely. This made Remy feel relieved.

"We're both soaking wet," Remy grinned, wiping some suds from his shirt.

"That's half the fun," Molly said.

Unfortunately, the dog started whining as they started rinsing him off.

"Uh-oh," Molly said.

"Shh! You have to be quiet, Chien ,or you're going to get us in trouble!" Remy said.

The dog actually stayed quiet, proceeding to lick Remy on the arm instead.  
>"Chien?" Molly questioned.<p>

"It's French for dog," Remy said.

"Oh. Well we're almost done," Molly said.

They finished the dog's bath, dried him off the best they could and ran him back out to the car. Quickly thinking, they parked Remy's car down the street just in case the dog became noisy again.  
>After that The two of them changed out of their wet clothes and split up to find Kurt.<p>

Remy found him first in the kitchen. "Kurt, Molly and I need a big favor," Remy said. He quickly summarized the situation and of course Kurt was happy to help.

"I'll be back soon," Kurt said, then turning on his image inducer and teleporting to the nearest pet supply store.

Remy contacted Molly on his own communicator and they met back at the car. "We just have to wait for Kurt," Remy said as they sat in the car. The dog seemed to prefer the front passenger seat so Molly was sitting in the back again.

Molly leaned over the front seat and gave Remy a kiss on the cheek. "It was very sweet of you to rescue him."

"It wasn't much," Remy turned around to face Molly.

They smiled at each other, then started kissing.

Then the dog decided to butt in by trying to jump between them. Remy almost ended up with a mouthful of fur.  
>"Hey, hey!" Remy protested, "This is _my_ girlfriend. Got that? I can kiss her if I want to."<p>

"He's probably just being protective. Maybe his owner is a girl," Molly said.

"Still, I'm not letting some mutt getting between us kissing," Remy said, going in to kiss Molly again.

The dog didn't jump into the middle of things that time, but he did start crying and bumping his nose against Remy.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Remy put his hands up, "I avoid hitting you with my car and this is the thanks I get?"

The dog just tilted his head at Remy, confused.

"Don't worry," Molly smiled at Remy, "Once we find his owner things will be back to normal."

Remy hoped that they would find his owner soon.

* * *

><p>AN: A lot of times when I'm writing, the story line of '...And then Remy almost hits a dogcat/animal of your choice here' comes into my head when I get stuck and don't know what to write next. This time it seemed like a good idea so I went with it. It's also a tribute to my now deceased dogs, Wiley and Cleveland, and probably stems from the fact that I can't really have a dog at the moment because it's inconvinent for everyone else and I want one _very_ badly. Chester has some of their traits in him, like hyperactiveness (Wiley) and getting in between two people kissing (Cleveland-sometimes he'd start barking and get "jealous" when my parents kissed.) Also, this story is inspired by 'Free to Good Home' by the wonderous Internutter.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer:I don't own X-Men:Evolution, just myself (Called Molly Callum in 'fics.)  
>and any original charactersbackground characters that might pop up from time to time.

* * *

><p>"Excuse me? Do you know who this dog belongs to?" Molly put her head out the window and asked a chubby man in a business suit walking to his car.<br>Remy noted the maple doughnut in the guys hand looked really good.

"No, sorry," The man got into his car and drove off.

They kept driving. "There's some kids," Remy pointed out some kids on their way home from school that weren't much older then 13.  
>Remy put his head out the window, "Hey, uh, you kids know who's dog this is?"<p>

They answered him "no" and kept walking.

It went on like that for almost an hour. Everyone they ran into had never seen the dog before and didn't know who it belonged to.

"We could stop and the vets office and see if they might know," Molly suggested.  
>"That might work," Remy said.<p>

They stopped and exited the car after putting the collar and leash on the dog. Molly held on to the leash. "Honey, you might hurt yourself. He's a big dog. Let me take him," Remy offered.

"He's not that big. I'll be fine," Molly smiled, "I'm stronger then you give me credit for."

The dog leapt out of the car straight to the nearest bush, promptly hurling Molly forward.  
>Remy was afraid she would fall, lose her grip on the leash or both, but Molly managed to right herself, gripping the leash with her other hand.<p>

That didn't mean that the dog didn't pull her the rest of the way into the vet's office however.  
>"Cherie, you mean everything to me, so why don't you just let me take the dog before he lands you on your pretty face?" Remy said.<p>

"Alright, alright," Molly brought the dog to a stop and handed Remy the leash.  
>"Thank you. _Now_ I'll show him who's boss," Remy said.<p>

The dog tried to go over to sniff at a display of dog food, but Remy pulled him back successfully. The dog looked at him as if to say "_You're_ holding me? Oh great!" and made a sound like a sigh. With that the dog tried again, but almost hung himself.

"REMY!" Molly screeched in the middle of talking to the receptionist.

"What?" Remy yelped.

"You're going to choke him! You direct him and talk to him, don't let him pull like that. We need to get him a harness. You alright sweetie?" Molly rubbed at the dogs neck,  
>scratching behind his ears. Remy could have swore the dog was grinning at him, trying to convey that he had Molly wrapped around his furry toe.<p>

"Okay, sorry. Direct and talk, got it," Remy said, feeling sheepish.

"You better just let me take him. You've never had a dog, you don't know how to walk one," Molly said.

"I can handle it," Remy said.

Molly pressed her lips together, obviously starting to become frustrated. Remy realized they were quickly exasperating each other and this would become an argument soon enough.

"Listen, why don't you finish talking to the receptionist and on the way out you can tell me what to do with the dog. You're right, I don't know how to walk one, so you can teach me," Remy smiled.

The two little words every woman loved to hear-'You're right'. Argument avoided, simple as that.

"Okay," Molly smiled. She went back to talking to the receptionist, leaving hers and Remy's phone numbers in case anyone came looking for the mutt.

"If you've been looking for a whole hour, he might just be a stray. It would probably be best to take him to the shelter," The receptionist advised.

"Mmm," Molly said, "Well, thanks anyway." Remy got a flash of revulsion and fear from Molly as they left the office.

"Shelters are bad I guess? You didn't feel good when the lady mentioned it," Remy said as they walked back to the car I guess.  
>"You felt that, huh? I don't know, it depends on the shelter. There's the pounds and then there's the no-kill shelter where they don't kill the animals. I'm pretty sure all Bayville has is the pound. The nearest shelter is two towns away."<p>

"How do you know that?" Remy asked.

"I was curious so I looked it up. Because I was bored...and maybe hoping I could talk everyone into getting a dog. Um, a long time ago anyway," Molly said.

"A long time ago being last week," Remy smirked, The dog started pulling before Molly could retort. "Hey! Relax doggy!" Remy ordered.

The dog wasn't paying attention and kept pulling.  
>"Stop walking," Molly said. They stopped. The dog stopped.<br>"Oh yeah. You have to keep him at your hip and hold the leash a certain way," Molly suddenly remembered.

"Okay," Remy carefully directed the dog back to stand at his hip and Molly showed him how to hold the leash.  
>With both hands, tight and firm with the loop around one hand and the other hand being held lower on the leash.<br>The dog seemed to relax.  
>"Much better," Molly said, "Good job to you both."<p>

They made their way to the car, but this time Molly sat in the front seat.

"So what are we going to do?" Remy wondered.

"Well, we can't take him to the pound, so I guess our only other option is to beg and plead for Logan and everyone to let us keep him around until we find a home for the big fella," Molly said.

"Wish we could just sneak him in," Remy said.

"We snuck him in and out for baths, I think that's the extent of our run of good fortune. If we snuck him in to stay, you know Logan would either hear him or smell him. I'm surprised we managed to sneak him in the first time without getting caught. Besides, I don't like going behind their backs like that. It's dishonest," Molly said.

"Alright, but you have to come with me to explain. They _like_ you. You can do cute. I can't do cute," Remy said.

"I think you can do cute," Molly leaned in for a kiss.

WHAM!

They both got slurpy, wet dog kisses.

"_Chien_, you're walking on thin ice," Remy growled, fire in his eyes.

The dog just gave him a dopey smile and barked.

"We can't have a dog around. We've got too much going on," Scott said.

"He doesn't have anywhere else to go. The worst thing for him would be to take him to the pound, and we can't just turn him loose on the streets. It would be inhumane," Molly pleaded.

Logan sighed. "We'll talk it over and let you know. Keep an eye on the mongrel and don't let him...mark...anything."

"Outside, got it," Remy said.

They took the dog out into the backyard. At which point, it almost hung himself again jumping around to try to swim in the pool and sniff around in the yard.

"Must be part hunting dog if he likes water," Molly said, "Hey boy, calm down. Be a good boy, okay? Okay?" She sat in front of the dog and tried to get his attention focused on her, but it was hard since he was quite hyperactive. A regular ball of energy as he jumped around, barking as loud as an air horn, his rust colored eyes begging to run around. "Shh, it's not nice to bark," Molly started scratching behind the dogs ears and rubbing under his chin. This pleasant display of affection calmed him down in just a few minutes. Much more effective then yelling at him, which would have been Remy's plan of action.

"Guess we should name it or something," Remy muttered.

"I don't know," Molly said, "Experience says once you name it, you get attached. So no names for now, I think."

"Just how many dogs _have_ you had?" Remy raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, about thirteen I guess?" Molly smiled guiltily, "Uh, not all at once!"

"You never talked about them before," Remy smiled.

"Well you never asked," Molly said, "You're not too into keeping pets like I am."

"So tell me about them then," Remy said.

Molly went into telling Remy about every dog she'd ever had, speaking about each one with all the fondness and love that a kind mother would have of her own children.

"...Then there's Wiley and Cleveland. Wiley is mine, Cleveland is the family dog. I guess you'll get to meet them if you ever come to visit. I would've taken Wiley with me when I moved out,  
>but every apartment I looked at didn't allow pets," Molly said.<p>

"I'm sorry, Cherie," Remy felt bad for her. He could tell that she was close to her pets.

"It's okay. He's in good hands-spoiled rotten," Molly smirked.

Suddenly Logan came into the backyard.  
>"We came to a compromise," Logan said, "Find a home for him within a week. If you can't, I know a guy with a farm outside of New York that might take him."<p>

"Might?" Remy said.

"More then likely," Logan said.

"YAY!" Molly cheered.

"He has to behave!" Logan warned.

"He'll behave," Remy smiled, "Molly's had about thirteen dogs. She knows all about them."

"...I guess if he's going to be here a while we _should_ call him something," Molly mused.

"He's noisy, he's pushy and he likes you more then he likes me," Remy said.

"He's a big sweetie with a strong body and he's curious," Molly said more positively.

"How about Chester?" Hank came out onto the terrace.

"Chester?" Remy questioned doubtfully, eyebrow raised. To Remy it sounded like a character from an old black and white sitcom.

"Chester was a friend of mine on the high school football team. Big as an ox, loud, and a real hit with the ladies," Hank explained.

"Chester...it's cute," Molly smiled, lightly hugging the dog who licked her face in return.

"Anyway, you two are in charge of Chester, understood?" Logan said.

"Crystal clear," Remy smiled. Although Remy had a feeling Molly would be more then happy to take on most of the responsibilities.

"You want to go play with the ball? Yes! You want to go play widdaball! Good puppy! Yessss!" Molly turned into an ecstatic bundle of baby talk and kissy noises as she took the newly named Chester to play in the 'safe' part of the yard not used for training sessions. So all that meant Molly was back to her old self.

Remy couldn't have been happier.

* * *

><p>It had been two hours since they'd gotten permission to keep Chester around and in that time Molly hadn't mentioned the professor's absence even once. The dog was doing an amazing job of keeping her fully distracted from the problem at hand. The rest of the students were having a great time playing with Chester too. They were all out in the yard, tossing around a football and getting grass stains and dog slobber on their clothes, while Chester was delighted that there were more people in this place to play with that matched his own energy level.<p>

Meanwhile Remy was sitting in the kitchen with Kitty's laptop, wracking his brains to try and figure out if they knew anyone that could give the dog a loving home.

The Brotherhood couldn't even keep a goldfish alive, so they would not be a good match for a dog. Off hand, Remy couldn't think of anyone else.

In trying to help, all the kids had contacted their parents earlier, but in vain, getting every reason in the book, including the ever popular, straight forward "No"  
>without an explanation. Molly's family, she explained, were particularly adamant against adding another dog to the household. "I'm definitely not 'daddy's little girl' today because daddy yelled at me," She laughed.<p>

Out of ideas, Remy started typing up flyers and writing out an ad for the newspaper. "Like anyone is really going to adopt a lost dog from a mutant school," Remy said,  
>knowing full well that the public was afraid of mutants. People would probably think that the dog was mutated too!<p>

"Ah-hah!" Remy had an idea.

_Free home delivery, no charge!_ he added to both the flyer and newspaper ad. Don't let the person come to you, go to them instead. That way no one would have any idea that they were from The Institute. Perfect.

The kids all came inside at once and they all looked tired, but happy. Molly hugged Remy, then climbing into his lap for a snuggle.  
>"We really need to go get dog food and stuff," Molly said as she rest her head against Remys shoulder.<br>"We certainly do," Remy said. Chester had fallen asleep in the kitchen. They left Kurt and Kitty in charge until they arrived back, but it was clear that anything that occurred in Remy and Mollys absence was still the couples responsibility no matter who they left in charge.

"So what do we need?" Remy asked as they entered the pet supply store.

"Besides food? Probably a bed and a little jacket in case it gets cold outside. Maybe a brush. Some dog shampoo if we ever need to wash him again. I'd like to get him a tag made for the time being, you know, just in case," Molly said.

"Cherie, you're not thinking of trying to keep Chester, are you?" Remy said as gently as he could. Not in an accusatory tone, just neutral.

"No! No way. W-we couldn't do that. It would be great, but I know dogs are out of the question," Molly looked a little sad.

Pain struck at Remy's heart. He knew Molly very well, so it was obvious that she wanted to keep the dog. It was also obvious that she knew full well that keeping Chester would be impossible.

Remy stopped walking and hugged Molly tight. "I'm sorry. I know how much you want to keep him. We'll spoil Chester while he's with us and we'll find him a good home. I promise Molly."  
>They continued walking through the store, first getting dog food, bowls for food and water, then dog shampoo, a brush, a jacket, some chewing bones, treats and a harness for walks. After all that they looked at toys.<p>

Remy picked up a squeaky football and smiled. He didn't even know they made toys like that for dogs. He put it into the cart. "What else my love?" Remy rubbed the back of Molly's neck.  
>"A ball that can be his own. Maybe a frisbee. Definitely one of these things," She held up a thick braided rope with a red ball at the end of it, "I'm not really sure what else.<br>He's very energetic so he's going to need a lot of toys."

Remy picked up one of the cardboard boxes that contained a variety of toys to choose from and put the whole box into the cart. "There. Lots of toys," Remy smiled.  
>Molly just made an "Are you insane?" face at Remy. "I promised you we'd spoil him, so that's what I'm doing," Remy said.<p>

"Okay, okay," Molly pushed the cart to the checkout counter. The two of them left afterwards, excited to go home and play with Chester.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer:I don't own X-Men:Evolution, just myself (Called Molly Callum in 'fics.)  
>and any original charactersbackground characters that might pop up from time to time.

* * *

><p>"Woah!" Remy yelped as Chester greeted them at the door. The dog was jumping and barking enough for ten dogs. "No! We don't jump!" Molly scolded, grabbing Chester by the collar, "Sit. Sit? You know sit?...good boy!"<p>

"Who wants a toy?" Remy took the little plastic football out of the bag and squeaked it. Chester went _nuts_. More barking and some dancing accompanied with whining.  
>"I think he likes footballs," Molly remarked.<p>

"I think he does," Remy said. Remy threw it and Chester bolted after it.

The two of them put the dog food in the kitchen then put everything else in Molly's room. Chester shadowed them the whole way. "You'd better throw it again," Molly said to Remy.  
>Remy threw the toy down the hallway and that started a very long game of fetch that went until dinner time.<p>

"He's a very voracious eater, isn't he?" Ororo said as they watched Chester eat on the other side of the dining room. Chester was making the bowl scoot across the floor, then he seemed to be trying to lick the shine off of the bowl.  
>"Voracious? More like a walking vacuum," Rogue pointed out.<p>

"He just likes to eat, that's all," Molly finished off her own food with gusto, going at it so heartily that food sprayed everywhere, leaving crumbs on her face. After a few seconds she realized this and abashedly, daintily wiped them off with a napkin.

"Sounds like Molly," Ray said.

"It sounds like Kurt," Kitty said.

"Anyway, what's for dessert?" Remy asked.

Soon enough the kids were helping themselves to peach cobbler with ice cream. Chester, apparently not familiar with the likes of Logan, came up, put his head on Logan's lap and whined a little.

"No," Molly went over and pulled Chester away, "No begging."

"Should we put him outside?" Remy suggested.

"We could, but he'd just throw a fit. We should take him up to your room and just be with him so he isn't bugging everyone," Molly said.

They took Chester into Remy's room. Chester was content to chew on his football as Molly and Remy snuggled on the floor. "Good. He's finally distracted," Remy had a gleam in his eyes. Remy gave Molly a warm, loving kiss that was uninterrupted by dog slobber. "Mmm," Molly purred. She put her arms around Remy's neck, letting Remy kiss her enthusiastically. Not a lot of talking went on after that. It was a while before they came up for air. "I'm really happy-and grateful-you did everything for Chester," Molly smiled.

"Uh, you're welcome. It wasn't much, honey. Really," Remy was a little embarrassed.  
>"Yeah, but you saved him from the streets. It was really sweet of you and I'm sure he's grateful too. He likes you. I know he does," Molly said.<p>

With that, Chester put his head on Remys lap, apparently asking to be pet. "You were just being rough around the edges, weren't you?" Remy scratched behind Chesters ears. Chester just groaned happily at having his ears scratched, flopping onto his side and stretching as he let his tongue roll out of his mouth. Molly laughed at the dogs goofiness. "I forgot how much I missed having animals around. I mean, its one thing to turn into them,  
>but its another thing entirely to enjoy their company. He really makes me miss my dogs too," Molly said.<p>

"Maybe you could send them some toys and treats. Let them know you miss them," Remy suggested.

"That's not a bad idea. Tomorrow I'll go back to the store and find something," Molly said, "Thanks for thinking of it, Remy."

"No big deal," Remy said.

Eventually Molly took Chester to her room to sleep. The squeaking football sound grew further and further away after Remy settled in his own bed, wondering what tomorrow was going to bring.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Remy was a little surprised to see that Molly wasn't sitting in her usual spot at the dining hall table. The plate in her spot remained untouched, clean as a whistle, so it was clear that she hadn't woken up yet. He decided to go back upstairs and check on her. Upon peeking into her room, he saw Molly sleeping on her front.<br>Molly breathed through her mouth when she slept, but this morning she was drooling, which meant she was sleeping hard. Remy was debating on waking her up when he saw Chester snuggled up in at the foot of the bed. Unfortunately Chester saw him too.

Chester started barking excitedly.

"ARRGHHH!" Molly moaned, "Chester, shut up and go back to sleep! I'm _not_ letting you out again!" Molly turned over and buried herself underneath the comforter.  
>Chester just kept barking and bouncing around.<p>

"Shh!" Remy whispered as he tried his best to quiet the dog, "You need to stay quiet!"

That had no effect. If anything, Chester became noisier. The dog was more like a furry tornado then a dog, dancing in circles and jumping up, clearing three feet. His tail whipped back and forth,  
>just a blur.<p>

"Dog never shuts up," Molly complained underneath the comforter. She revealed herself and Remy almost cringed. This wasn't her best morning. Mollys hair was sticking up in all directions, looking more like a big brown curly powder puff then sleek hair. Her usual pajamas looked like they had been through a stampede of elephants, wrinkled beyond belief.  
>Mollys face looked haggard, as if she had not had a full nights sleep, with puffy bloodshot eyes and pale skin. In a nutshell, she looked like crap. It wasn't surprising that she looked embarrassed when she finally realized Remy was standing there. "Oh! Uh...good morning," Molly said, trying to smooth out her poofy hair. Her hair just poofed out again.<p>

"Long night?" Remy said as he got Chesters leash on him, preparing to take him outside.

"Chester wanted to go out, like, five times last night. Or more. I lost count after he woke me up at one and three and whatever," Molly rubbed her eyes, "I forgot how much dogs like to have night time potty breaks."

"Well catch up on your sleep and I'll take care of him for a while," Remy said.

"You're sure?" Molly was skeptical.

"I'll be fine," Remy said. Remy took Chester outside then gave him some dry food for breakfast, then joining ate his own breakfast. After breakfast they played fetch as Remy started making up lesson plans for the rest of the week for the students. It was almost noon before Molly came downstairs, dressed and looking refreshed. She joined Remy at the kitchen table and started eating.  
>"You're so sweet to take care of Chester while I slept," Molly smiled.<p>

"I think he's a little calmer after he's eaten," Remy said. Currently Chester was chewing on an extra large dog bone.

"I've been trying to think of someone who could take him, but nothing is coming to me," Molly said as she ate some toast.

"I know what you mean," Remy said, "I have to go run the ad for the paper this morning. Maybe some good will come of it."

"I sure hope so," Molly said, "I have to go make my bed then I guess I'll take him for a walk."

That wasn't the best thing to say, because Chester started running around and barking again. "I think he knows what walk means," Remy talked loudly over all the noise.

"Jee, do you think?" Molly said. She gently took Chesters mouth and held it shut, which just made him cry, "You have _got_ to learn to shut up or all three of us are going to be out on the street."  
>This was responded to with more crying.<p>

"I'll go grab his leash and harness," Remy said. Today looked like it was going to be a long day.

* * *

><p>By late afternoon, Chester, Molly and Remy were all worn out from work and play. They played with Chester as they worked.<br>"Should we switch Wednesdays session to Friday or what?" Molly yawned, pointing at the training schedule. "No, it's fine," Remy said. finishing writing. Remy stretched, feeling weary and trying to regain some energy. Unfortunately his stretching was interrupted by Molly trying to tickle him under the arms. Remy let out a half snort-half laugh with a grin. "What's that for?" He wondered. "Just wanted to see if I could do it," Molly returned the grin.

"Don't tickle me if you don't want me to return the favor," Remy stood up and started to reach out, but Chester, using all his weight, knocked Remy down in a flash.

Chester was standing on Remys chest and snarling viciously. "Molly...?" Remy looked at Molly, not wanting to move just in case he were to lose a finger...or worse. "Chester, it's okay. It's okay,  
>boy. Remy wasn't going to hurt me," Molly gently pulled Chester away from Remy, trying to give the dog reassurance. "What just happened?" Remy stood up, smoothing out his shirt.<br>"I guess you just scared him. He's so protective," Molly hugged around Chesters neck, getting licked in return.

"It's just weird. There has to be a reason he's protective," Remy pondered, sitting down again.

"Chester has probably been through a lot. Maybe a girl used to own him a long time ago and he was kicked out of the house," Molly said.

"Probably. Hey Chester, are we friends again?" Remy carefully pat the dogs head as Chester sat vigilantly by Mollys side.

Chester turned his head away from Remy, dead set on ignoring him. Remys mouth hung open for a moment, since he couldn't believe he was actually getting the cold shoulder from a _dog_! How insulting!

"I've reached a new low. I'm getting ignored by a dog," Remy rolled his head back, exasperated.

"We just have to show him that you're not going to hurt me," Molly suggested.

Remy smiled, because to him that meant a lot of kissing and snuggling. "I _like_ that idea."

"You just have to do so slowly so he doesn't jump all over you again," Molly said.

Remy picked up his chair and moved it to be next to Mollys, on the right, away from Chester. Slowly, Remy held Mollys hand as Chester watched. Remy then gave her a side-ways hug, careful not to move too fast. Molly smiled, trying to let Chester know it was fine and that she was safe. "See? Remy wouldn't ever hurt me," Molly scratched behind Chesters ear.

Remy slowly kissed Molly and not a minute later, Chester was trying to get between them again and they ended up covered in dog slobber. "Silly boy," Molly laughed. Remy wasn't sure if she was talking about himself or Chester.

* * *

><p>That afternoon, Remy had the idea of taking Chester to the park. They loaded up the car and decided to make an afternoon out of it, bringing along a blanket and water.<p>

"Wahhhhh!" Molly screeched as Chester forcefully yanked her out of the car. She would have fallen onto the hot concrete of the parking lot if Remy hadn't pulled her back and grabbed Chesters leash in one fluid movement.

"Chester! Sit! Sit!" Molly said.

Chester just pulled and pulled, ready to explore this new place full of sights and smells. "I've got him," Remy said, putting a firm grip with both hands on the leash. Remy lept out of the car past Molly like a blur so Chester wouldn't hurt himself. Molly caught her breath as Remy took Chester over to sniff a tree.

After a while, the three of them started walking around, letting Chester burn some energy. "Mmm," Remy eyed up Molly as they walked along.  
>"And what are you thinking about?" Molly asked.<p>

"Just this," Remy stooped to kiss her. They were so distracted that neither of them saw Chester entwining the leash around their legs. When Remy straightened up again,  
>the couple was in a literal bind.<p>

"I think that dog has it in for me," Remy muttered.  
>"I think that we need to get out of this," Molly said. Their bodies were pressed together like a magnet on a fridge and Remy couldn't help but like it, except Molly was right. They needed to get out of this.<p>

"Chester, come here," Remy called. Chester had enough slack to be sitting a few feet away from them. He came over, goofy dog tongue lolling out of his mouth like your typical dog. "I think we just have to unwind him," Remy explained.

"Very carefully," Molly added. Slowly, they walked Chester around them to unravel the leash and within a few minutes they were free.

"Maybe we should go sit down and take a rest," Molly suggested.

They spread out their blanket under a tree, gave Chester a bone to chew and relaxed for a little while.

"This is really relaxing," Remy layed back.

"Really, really relaxing," Molly snuggled up against him.

Molly started kissing Remys cheek and working her way to his mouth, quickly as she rubbed her leg against his in a flirtatious fashion. "Who put a nickel in your slot?" Remy said as Molly kissed down his jaw line.

Molly giggled, "It's a nice day out. If you don't want me to kiss you, I won't."

"It's not that. It's just, you know, I'm usually the one that initiates all the kissing," Remy said.

"Well I can be outgoing when I want to be-and a little flirty," Molly winked, laying on his chest with her arms folded underneath her chin to look him in the face.

"I guess sometimes I forget my little wallflower isn't such a wallflower anymore," Remy grinned, starting to play with Mollys hair.

"Yup," Molly said simply.

The birds were singing and the air was pleasantly warm. "Next time we'll have to have a picnic here," Remy said.

"And you could make veggie Jambalaya and beignets," Molly said happily.

"Are you getting hungry?" Remy half teased.

"Just a little. The walk revved up my appetite," Molly giggled.

"We could leave and go grab something I guess," Remy suggested.

"No!" Molly suddenly frowned as she quickly sat upright, clearly upset, "We just got here and Chester has never even been to the park and-"

"Okay, okay! Calm down sweet," Remy pulled her back to the blanket, "It was just a thought."

"Sorry," Molly said quietly, "I just don't want to be selfish right now."

After about a half hour they decided to finish their walk.

"We should go do something this week," Molly said, "Go to, like, a concert or something."

"Uh, sorry, but I went broke when I took you to the spa yesterday," Remy said.

"Oh, I forgot about that. Well I can pay for stuff too. You shouldn't have to pay for everything," Molly smiled cheerfully.

"That's sweet of you to offer, but as the man in the relationship, it does make me feel guilty," Remy started rubbing the back of Mollys neck with just his thumb as they kept walking.

"Well, I think maybe we should have an equal relationship when it comes to money. Plus I really want to go to this concert," Molly was starting to look (and Remy could feel) embarrassed.

"Alright, which concert?" Remy stopped walking.

"Thbaastreebys," Molly mumbled hurriedly.

"Cherie, come on. You have to tell me clearer then that," Remy coaxed. They both knew he wasn't going to be happy about it.

Molly coughed, clearing her throat "Uh...The Backstreet Boys."

"No," Remy said, "I'm not being dragged off to hear a bunch of pretty boys who can't even play instruments drone sappy, corny love songs."

"Remyyyyy," Molly whined, "They're only in Bayville for one night and I've never even been to a concert in my whole life and all I want to do is go with you! Please?"

Remy couldn't ignore those big brown eyes trying to break him down.

He sighed. He was already out three hundred bucks, what was an hour of his life wasted? "Fine. I'll go," Remy said.

"Yay! Thank you!" Molly hugged him. The two of them decided it was time to head back. There had been enough excitement for one day.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer:I don't own X-Men:Evolution, just myself (Called Molly Callum in 'fics.)  
>and any original charactersbackground characters that might pop up from time to time.

* * *

><p>When they got back, they were met with a frightening sight of one of the upstairs rooms blown out and the windows of the downstairs smashed in. "Here we go again!" Molly said, then morphing into a tiger. "Stay!" Remy yelled, leaving Chester outside the car.<p>

Except Chester followed them. "Idiot dog. Every dog knows 'stay'!" Remy said. The three of them ran inside to see Kitty unconscious on the floor. Chester ran over and licked her awake.  
>"Blech! Dog breath!" Kitty jerked upright. "What happened?" Remy pulled her up from the floor.<p>

"The Friends of Humanity came in and raided the place. They're trying to destroy everything. They don't care who gets hurt," Kitty said. She touched her head, it came back wet with blood from a gash.

"Molly, you take her down to the infirmary. I guess _we'll_ go see if any of them are still here," Remy said as he threw an annoyed look at Chester. They started walking into the next room.

ZZAP!

A laser whizzed past Remy's face and he lost a bit of hair. He looked in the direction from where it came and could see a muscular man hiding behind a wall. Chester was growling with his fur standing on end.

"You wanna play hard, we'll play hard," Remy said. He put just enough charge into one card to send the man flying and hopefully knock him unconscious, but not kill him. Remy expertly tossed it.

WHA-BOOM! The wall was now gone, but the man was still breathing. Unfortunately, the man was also still awake. He leapt up, trying to take a hit at Remy, but Remy dodged it.  
>Remy took out his staff, extending it out, ready to use it if necessary. What he didn't know was that Chester was about to take care of thier problem.<br>Chester leapt up and knocked the man to the ground where the guy hit his head against the coffee table in the process of falling.  
>"Nice job there, Chien," Remy smiled. Remy then dragged the unconscious man into the kitchen tying him up with some seran wrap. It would have to do for now.<p>

"Kitty and the younger kids are downstairs with Hank," Molly came back in, careful not to startle Remy.

"So we can assume everyone else is either unconscious or trying to fight off these lunatics," Remy said as Molly walked along with him as a human.

"You should change back, I'd feel better," Remy said.

"Yeah, but if I changed I can't talk and I'd rather we be able to communicate," Molly said.

They kept walking, going back around and upstairs. "Alright, but the first sign of trouble..." Remy let it hang.

"I can't figure out how they got past the security system," Molly said as they started to whisper. Remy just shrugged in reply.

They silently checked each room, but they were all empty-not to mention trashed beyond belief. Graffiti on the walls, broken personal items, beds turned over and dressers smashed to bits.  
>Molly pretty much choked when they reached Remy's room. His clothes, even his underwear, were everywhere. There was stuffing bursting out of his bed. The walls were smeared in red paint with things like 'die mutie die', and that was one of the things written on his walls that didn't involve swear words or say what awful things they wanted to do to him. Remy's stereo was even smashed in.<p>

Molly walked over and picked up a broken picture frame. The picture was of her and Remy, taken not too long ago at the park on a nice spring day. She tucked it into her belt.  
>"Oww!" Molly suddenly cried out in pain. There was a tranquilizer sticking out of her right arm. A big one. In less then a minute she fell to the carpet unconscious.<p>

Remy was about to demand the attacker come out when Chester ran over to the closet, barking like a maniac, trying to eat through the door. "Chester, come," Remy ordered. For once, Chester obeyed him. Remy put Molly over his shoulder and tossed another card at the closet. It was _so_ tempting to charge it enough to blow a man's body apart after what happened to Molly, but Remy didn't. There was a loud boom, then a groan from inside the closet-what was left of it, anyway.

Remy opened it to see another beefed up idiot in a beret and green camouflage jacket. He tied the guy up with socks and Chester, being a dog, marked the guy. "Good boy," Remy smiled.

Remy made his way back downstairs to the infirmary and put Molly in one of the beds. "Everyone doing alright down here?" He asked.  
>"As well as can be expected," Hank said.<p>

"Okay. I'll let you guys know when it's safe," Remy said, running back upstairs, Chester in tow. As soon as Remy opened the secret door entrance to the lower levels, he practically ran right into Logan. "Where is everybody?" Logan asked.

"Tap dancing," Remy rolled his eyes, "Some are downstairs and others probably got knocked out. I don't think they're out to kill anyone, just rough us all up."

"What's with the mutt?" Logan gestured at Chester with his claws.  
>"He appointed himself an honorary X-Man. He's actually listening to me, so that's good. Chien isn't as dumb as he lets on at least," Remy said.<p>

"Whatever. Let's just wrap this up. There can't be too many more of these goons left," Logan griped.

The three of them stalked the upstairs once more, then went out into the backyard. The backyard seemed empty at first.

ZZAP!

One was shooting at them from up in a tree. Remy was about to blow the tree down when...

"YIIP!" Chester yelped out in pain. A shot had gone across one of his legs, burning him a little.

"Nobody hurts my dog," Remy was ticked as he flung a heavily charged card. The tree and the man in the tree all went bye-bye, straight up into the air and falling on the far side of the yard.  
>Laser Man was smart enough to run out of the way before the tree fell on top of him.<p>

Laser Man has lost his little gun in the process, so he came over to them with his hands above his head in surrender. He was tall and skinny, with no muscle, built like a string bean.  
>No wonder he was up in a tree shooting a laser. "Please d-don't kill me," He stuttered, "I just joined with them a week ago. I didn't know we were going to do stuff like this.-I didn't mean to shoot the dog, it slipped!"<p>

"Where's the rest of your buddies?" Logan asked.

"I'm the last one. They left me here. They tranquilized all your people and put them at the edge of the forest.  
>They don't want to go to jail for murder, they're just trying to send a message. They don't want mutants in America anymore." The man said.<p>

"Yeah, well we're not liking it much here either at the moment," Remy said.

They sent for a police car to pick up String Bean Man and the others. Remy took Chester down to the infirmary, then he met up with Logan who'd done one last search on the place to make sure it was clear. After that they went to go find everyone, who were at the edge of the forest unconscious as was said. They quickly woke up, groggy but alive.

"Alright, everyone take ten then we'll start getting the mansion back in one piece," Logan ordered.

Remy went back downstairs. He was worried that Molly hadn't woken up yet, but her vitals were stable, so that was a good sign.  
>"Chester seems to be doing alright. He lost a little fur and got a burn mark, but it should heal up okay," Hank said.<p>

"You were such a good boy today," Remy actually got down on the floor and scratched Chester behind the ears and on his chest.  
>"After all this, I think maybe you deserve a nice big steak."<p>

Chester's eyes lit up, as if he actually understood. He started barking like mad and dancing around.  
>"Alright, alright," Remy said as he stood, "You're going to wake Molly up-though that might not be such a bad thing." Remy looked over at his love, still sound asleep.<p>

Chester quieted down and looked over at Molly's bed. He ran over, hopped up on a bedside chair and started licking her face with gusto and love.  
>He cried when he didn't get any response, looking worriedly at Remy silently as if to say "Dude, she's not waking up. WHY IS SHE NOT WAKING UP? I'm so worried, man. Hold me."<p>

"I know, buddy," Remy went over and stood on the other side of the bed, "I'm worried too, but you and I are going to stay here all night-all week if we have to-until she wakes up."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer:I don't own X-Men:Evolution, just myself (Called Molly Callum in 'fics.)  
>and any original charactersbackground characters that might pop up from time to time.

AN: A bit of mature stuff near the end of this chapter. (Just mentions of, um, V******y AKA "purity" or "v-card".-That's in case any young kids see this I guess.) So just a warning that I probably don't need to actually put, but feel the need to anyway. Nothing bad happens of course, there's just a couple little mentions of the word and stuff.

* * *

><p>That night, Remy and Chester ate steaks-two each-in the infirmary. Remy half hoped that the smell of dead cow would have Molly waking up complaining, but it didn't. Remy took Chester out for a quick potty break, then grabbed his pajamas and a book and went back downstairs and after his own bathroom break, changing clothes and climbing into the bed next to Molly's. Chester joined him, jumping up and curling himself into a furry ball at the foot of the bed. Remy tried to read, but instead he just couldn't take his eyes off of Molly. He couldn't help but wonder if this was it. Maybe it had been more then a tranquilizer. Maybe it was slowly killing her and they didn't know it.<br>At first Remy decided that he would be the one to tell her family since Xavier wasn't around to, but then Remy wondered if they'd blame him for her demise and for not protecting her. Okay, so have Logan tell them and leave him out of the story.

Except, if she really did die, Remy didn't know if his heart would be able to take it. Molly was so full of life and passion, it would be so hard to get past. He'd never had a girlfriend die before. Remy was starting to get deeply depressed over the whole idea. "What am I doing? What the heck am I even doing? Nothing is going to happen to Molly. She's been through stuff before, she'll be fine. She'll...she'll be just fine," Remy said, albeit a bit nervously.

He wasn't surprised when Chester came over and lay beside him, obviously sensing how upset Remy was.  
>"Yeah, I'm a worry wart, aren't I chester?" Remy scratched Chester's head. Chester groaned as if to say, "Yes you are, you big idiot."<p>

Remy didn't know how, but eventually he fell asleep. It was really late when he heard, "Remy? You there? Wh-what's going on? What happened?"

Remy woke up with a start. "Molly!" He rushed over to her side, hugging her and smothering her in a million kisses while Chester tried to get in his own slurpy kisses after leaping over to her bed. "Ack! One at a time, one at a time!" Molly laughed, then coughing, "Oh jeez, I feel like crap. Why do I feel like crap?"

Remy explained how she'd been shot with a tranqulizer and been asleep for the past eleven hours, as it was now two am.  
>He also went through what she'd missed. "Yours must have been extra strength because it didn't take the others as long to wake up," Remy said.<p>

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Molly," Hank came in with a slew of medical equipment on a gurney.

"Please tell me that's all for someone else," Molly eyed the equipment with intense trepidation.

"Sorry honey, it's all for you," Remy kissed her on the mouth, then pulled the curtain around the bed while he and Chester waited outside the infirmary while Hank gave Molly a check up. When he came back, Molly was looking cross.  
>"Thanks a lot," She huffed, "I've contracted mono!"<p>

"Oh. Sorry," Remy frowned, "I had no idea my kisses we're going to come with stow-aways of the viral variety."

"At least it explains why I feel like this," Molly said with a moan, "Remy, could you go upstairs and get my pajamas? And something to eat? And my slippers?"

"Of course," Remy smiled as Chester climbed in bed with Molly, trying to keep her company.  
>A while later, Molly was in her pajamas eating warm butternut squash soup while Remy sat up with her for a while.<br>"I'm trying really hard not to make mono jokes, but it's difficult," Remy smirked, "I mean, I'm just surprised I gave this to you without any frenching involved. Unless of course you've been making out with other guys."

"Yeah, Scott and I are cheating on you and Jean and made out in his car last week a couple times," Molly rolled her eyes.

"Oh crap, now I can't get the image of you and _Scott_ out of my head. Why'd you have to put that there, Cherie?" Remy winced.

"Because you gave me mono," Molly smirked.

"Well it's not like I meant to!"

"Well it's not like you ever keep your lips off me!"

Silence for a moment, then Remy found himself ravenously making-out with Molly right there in the infirmary.  
>"Mrrfmmrr-Remy! Jeez!" Molly dodge him for half a second. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Remy said, "It's just...I thought you were going to die for a while because it took you so long to wake up."<p>

"Oh...well...I guess if you already infected me then you can't get s-mmm!" Molly said, interrupted by Remy making out with her again.  
>"Wait!" Molly shoved him away, "We-we really shouldn't be making out in our pajamas...and while I'm, er, in a bed."<p>

"I'll be good, I promise," Remy held up his right hand, as if making an oath in court.

Remy didn't know how, but somehow both Molly and Chester managed to shared the same look of skepticism. Chester threw himself between Molly and Remy on Molly's right side, seeming to be acting as a barrier. "Good grief, now the dog's trying to be a virgin alarm," Remy muttered, rolling his eyes as every muscle in his body became tense from all the stress and exhaustion of the afternoon-and now frustration on top of that.

It wasn't like Remy was going to purposely _try_ to take Molly's virginity. It was just that he had been so worried, he wanted to do what any boyfriend would after a crises and hug and kiss her-a lot. Remy didn't see it as a big deal that Molly was in her pajamas and in a bed, but he could see where it would worried her, so Remy tried to become calmer. Remy took deep breaths. It helped as much as putting a band-aid on a gaping flesh wound.

"Oh relax," Molly laughed, "I'm sure things will be back to normal soon. I'll be over this in no time!"

"Mmm...no time," Remy murmered.

"Anyway, it is late. You should go upstairs and get some more sleep. I've kept you up long enough," Molly reached out and stroked his face.

"I'd rather stay down here. It's already after three anyway," Remy said.

"Whatever," Molly yawned, "I'm going to try and go back to sleep, I'm still tired. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Remy smiled as he turned off the lights. He climbed into his bed and fell asleep feeling more relieved then he had in ages.

* * *

><p>For the next couple of days, Molly stayed downstairs so she wouldn't infect any of the other students via close contact. By the third day she was feeling much better-almost completely well-so she was allowed to rejoin everyone upstairs.<br>"Just don't over do it," Hank warned. "Thanks, no problem," Molly waved from the elevator with Chester and Remy by her side.

Unfortunately for Molly and Remy, it had already been five days since they placed the ads about Chester.  
>No one had answered them, not even one person. It was pretty disappointing.<p>

That disappointment was lightened up a bit, however, by the fact that Molly was out of the infirmary and completely kissable again. It was a long way up from downstairs to the first floor and Remy knew it. He didn't ask, he just loosly put his arms around her and started kissing. Chester circled around them, barking a little, probably because it would be difficult to get slobber all over them with them kissing standing up.  
>'So that's how I keep him from jumping all over us,' Remy thought, bending down a bit more.<p>

They kept kissing, even when the elevator dinged, signaling that they'd reached their floor in the foyer.  
>Chester ran out of the elevator at top speed very rambunctuously. Remy could hear people talking, but he really didn't care about that.<p>

"Awww! Aren't you sweet?" an older female voice said. Unfamilar to Remy. He was too busy to care.

"Hmm?" Molly looked up. Remy started kissing her neck, but Molly shoved him away.  
>"Remy, look!" She pointed.<p>

Forge and-presumably-his (now elderly) parents were standing in the foyer petting and babying Chester. Molly and Remy went out to meet them.

"When did you guys get a dog?" Forge asked.

"We found him. We're looking for a home for him," Remy said, though now it pained him to have to get rid of Chester after they'd bonded.

"We could take him if you like. We've been looking for a dog since our Derrigan passed away last year," Forge's dad said.

"...Ummm," Molly said as she looked at Remy. They were thinking the same thing; How could two people who were so old take care of such a big, strong, hyperactive dog?

"It's okay guys," Forge said, "Dad used to be a prison gaurd and mom is a retired police woman. They can take care of a big burly dog."

"...You promise not to do any experiments on him?" Remy leered at Forge.

"I'd never experiment on a family member," Forge smiled genuinely.

"Yet nothing stopped you from making _us_ guinea pigs," Remy continued to leer.

"That's different," Forge smirked, "You guys aren't family."

Things settled, everyone gathered around to say goodbye to Chester. Even Hank came up from the lab to say farewell. Some of the kids were crying, incredibly upset to see their new friend leaving them. Molly was definitely crying. She handed Forge's family the box containing Chester's toys and other stuff.

"There's his toys," Molly sniffled, now hoarse, "His favorite is the football. We got him dog shampoo, a jacket, a leash a brush and a ton of other stuff. He l-likes to go out at night a lot. He likes chasing squirrels, so you have to pay attention otherwise he'll run off."

Molly kneeled to the ground, giving Chester another hug, getting licked in return. "We're really g-going to miss you Chester. It's not going to b-be the same here without you.  
>Be a good boy and don't make a nuisance out of yourself."<p>

Remy knelt beside Molly, fishing something from his pocket. "I had this made especially for you, Chien, so don't eat it and don't lose it," Remy held up a small tag that was a simple red circle with a black X inside it-The X-Men's symbol, "So you're an official X-Man now. Don't forget your two best pals, okay, Chester?"

In response, Chester got up on Remy's shoulders and licked his face all over. "Okay, I'll miss you too! Jeez!"

Everyone laughed. Forge's family left with Chester, promising the kids could visit him whenever they wanted. It made them all feel much better about the whole thing.

"Well, we found him a home, Cherie. Happy?" Remy smiled.

"Happy enough, but it is going to be empty around here without a dog in the house," Molly sighed.

"Yeah, but we already _have_ a dog," Jamie smiled.

"We do?" Molly said.

"YOU!" Everyone shouted, smiling.

"Ah, right. So let's go outside and play some frisbee," Molly smiled, then turning into a chesapeak bay retriever, which looked a bit similar to Chester.

Remy was happy because Molly was happy again. He knew things wouldn't be set right until they found the professor, but until then, even if he wasn't around to guide them,  
>things were going to be okay because they all had each other.<p>

* * *

><p>Elsewhere:<p>

Charles Xavier was being held captive. He wasn't sure where he was or how much time had passed since he'd woken up, but he knew that his students would find him eventually. He found himself in a cement covered room with only a few lights. Water dripped and the place had a moldy smell. There were no windows, just one door. Charles was in a cold steel chair with his wrists fastened down. He was exhausted, achingly thirsty-as dry as a bone, and so groggy he wondered if they'd overdosed him with a sedative on purpose. Charles could barely think straight!

"Charles," Magneto came into the room, "If you cooperate, I can let you go and we can put this whole messy business of kidnapping you behind us."

"I won't give you the remaining locations of those children Magnus," Charles said, "Whatever you do, it's not going to make me give up anything. They are the future and need to be protected."

One in particular was a special case. If Magnus found him, it would all be over.

"Have it your way then," Magnus said.

Someone came into the room as Magneto left it, putting on his helmet. From far away he could already hear Charles screaming.


End file.
